Wednesday, 4 March 2015

As the evenings begin to draw in and the sun takes it's time clearing the distant mountains each morning, it's not difficult to appreciate that the easy training weather is coming to an end for another year. Winter will be arriving in my neck of the woods soon, and even though I won't have to deal with the kind of snow and temperatures many of you reading this have to deal with each winter, never the less, cold is cold.

This will be my last post for a while, I'm going to be in England soon and don't like to travel with technology in tow, I find it gets in the way of experiencing fully my new surroundings and the people I interact with. So the lap top is staying at home. I'll try to remember to take photos, and if I get the time, and have access to a computer, I'll try to post something too, but please...don't hold your breath.

While I'm in the UK, I'll be meeting up with some great karateka, sharing their training, practicing together, and, I'm very sure, learning lots. I'm looking forward to making the memories and experiencing the kinship that exists between karateka who look upon their training as something not to be exploited for cash, or diminished by vanity. To be in the company of such people is reason enough to travel to England.

Tuesday, 3 March 2015

Punch, block, punch, block, punch, block, punch, block......the rhythm of a typical karate class today is a bit like this; training by the metronome chant of the instructor. Training by numbers, karate being drilled to within an inch of it's life, and by so doing, rendered all but useless for it's main purpose...defending the 'self '. Self-defence, and defending the self, are not the same thing, at least not the way I see it.

Self-defence is the stuff tough guys teach you in exchange for a wallop of money, and you return home believing you're now safe to walk the streets at night. Defending the self, is staying away from such gatherings and quietly getting on with your training. Self-defence will tell you what to do if you live where you're likely to face knifes, and guns, or gangs of youths ready to do you harm; defending the self, will prompt you to move to a better neighbourhood.

The promise of self-defence will entice you in to your local karate club, whereas, defending the self will encourage you to keep walking. Self-defence will tell you that you "need" to protect yourself, defending the self will make it clear who and what from. The difference in the two approaches to defence may not seem important...until you consider this....one way parts you from your money and guarantees nothing in return; and the other way guarantees you'll be just fine, and allows you to keep your cash.

Friday, 27 February 2015

Oh boy...did I get folks excited with my recent post featuring a couple of emails and a dumb question. It seems like the Internet karate community are just waiting for something to become indignant about. I haven't witnessed such vitriol from "karateka" since I expressed my disgust at the behavior of the serial pedophile and karate historian, Harry Cook. Had he faced a keisaku a few times, perhaps he would have chosen a different path than the one he took.

Karate, at least the majority of the stuff you see today, seems to be pursued by thin-skinned tough guys; folk who get angry when they find something they don't agree with or can't understand. People who need their hands held and have to be told how to train, how to think, and what everything means.....like kindergarten kids! But don't mention that to them whatever you do...or they write emails and call you nasty names and threaten all kinds of retribution....from the other side of the planet!

To clarify the meaning of my email reply to the dumb question, it was a 'slap'; and a good slap is what every serious karateka should be getting from time to time. If you have never been on the receiving end of one, then I'm sorry your teacher isn't interested in you enough to teach you properly; perhaps they were never slapped, and so never learnt much about karate beyond how to kick and punch. When you look at the caliber of the average karate instructor these days, that shouldn't come as a big surprise.

"Are you still here?"

I'm not talking about physical brutality here, the slaps I'm referring to have to do with confronting you at the very core of who you 'think' you are; of shaking your attachment to what you 'know for sure', and clearing some of that egotistical wax that blocks your ears, and stops you from listening to yourself when you're playing the role of a karate student or (heaven forbid) a sensei. In the learning of karatedo a good slap every now and then is not only useful....it should be welcomed.

Of course, if you've never been slapped you have no right at all to slap others...oh no! This level of training is not for the coward. The sound of one hand slapping should be as familiar to you as it becomes to the people you teach......

Tuesday, 24 February 2015

Many karateka use words they don't mean, or if they do, then they know they're lying! Take the word 'training' for example. Exactly what does that word mean? I know of karateka who 'go training' but actually spend their time teaching; I know others who talk more in the dojo than practise, and still others, who only repeat the things they are already good at rather than face the things they are not!

I've posted before about the difference between being 'happy' and experiencing 'pleasure', and how karateka often confuse the two. It seems to me, that while it's entirely possible to be happy by very modest events, happiness is one of the first things you lose when you pursue pleasure...because 'pleasure' demands an ever-greater situation to be pleased with....pleasure and the constant desire for it, is a bit like being addicted to emotional crack-cocaine!

My partner after a few months training together.

A group of high-school kids was asked if they thought there was a difference between generosity and kindness? They believed there was a difference, noting that to be generous you usually had to have power over others, or at least something other people wanted or need. Kindness on the other hand, did not require you to have things (or money) to give away, that you could instead just choose be kind: helpful.

The kids summed-up their observations by rating generosity lower, or less desirable, than kindness. Equating the first with elements of showing off (look how generous I am giving this away to others who have less than me!), and the second, with a quieter, more dignified, way of interacting with others. I think these observations have some validity, and in a way, relate to how individuals approach their karate; with some people making a fuss about everything they do, while others just quietly go about their training.

Beyond the kicking and punching part of karate awaits the challenge of budo; focusing on the first will develop your body, addressing the second reveals your nature.....

Saturday, 21 February 2015

One of the things I noticed during my first visit to Okinawa was that karate sensei, almost exclusively, taught out of their homes; that is to say, their dojo formed a part of the house in which they lived. For many this is still the case today; and even when a sensei has a new house built, a dojo is very likely to be included in the plans.

I've often wondered why this idea is not so wide spread outside of Okinawa, even in Japan. Is it really just a matter of available space? On Okinawa space is at a premium, more so than in western countries, and yet few 'home dojo' exist compared to the thousands of 'shopping mall karate studios' and the hundreds of 'martial arts academies' found on Industrial estates.

Of course, a dojo is defined by what goes on inside of it, and not by it's location or appearance; that being the case, I'm not so sure you get from karate what you put in to it; I think it's more a question of......you get from karate what you bring to it....

Wednesday, 18 February 2015

Following on from my recent post about Morio Higaonna sensei's hospitalisation, I'm very pleased to say that he is now back at home and recovering well. Although he is still some way from being completely recovered, I have no doubt he will return to good health, and his dojo, very soon.

While I have no formal connection to Higaonna sensei, or his world-wide organisation, he was my first teacher when I made the switch from Japanese karate to Goju-ryu over 30 years ago, and it was his dojo that I sought out when I travelled to Okinawa for the first time.

For his generosity and guidance at that time, I remain sincerely grateful.

Sunday, 15 February 2015

After practice this morning, I began to think about my upcoming trip to England, and about the kind of karateka I would be spending time with. Not all of them are sensei, although even those who are not, possess the qualities I believe are necessary to fulfill that role.

When I thought about each of the sensei, something interesting came to mind; even though they have accepted the responsibility of teaching karate to others, they remain students of the art and are, like me, a reluctant sensei. Although it was the first time I had given any thought to this, I had to smile when I recognised the connection...

Thursday, 12 February 2015

I received an email recently from a karateka who began writing to me some years ago; he would ask the occasional question and I would offer him my opinion. But last week I thought he asked a particularly dumb question, and I told him so. He took offence, yada, yada, yada.....you know the drill. The exchange made me wonder about the nature of people who think themselves karateka, and in particular, the ease with which they are offended. So...what was the question that gave rise to my opinion, that in turn caused so much offence? Here's the email exchange: Sensei Clarke,

I hope all is well with you. I have a question that may seem
rather trivial but it is of some interest to me.

In my Dojo some of the senior belts tie their belts in such a
fashion that they cross over in the back. Upon inquiry, they told me that they did this because it was the way the
late Nishiyama Sensei did it and they assumed it was the traditional way to tie
the belt.

I am sure that the way you tie your belt isn’t the biggest
Karate concern, but I am interested in tradition, and I am wondering if in all
your writing, visits to Okinawa, etc., you have ever experienced
this?

Thank you again.

Oss!

And my reply:

Hello ****,

What a dumb question!

Really....if you have spent more than a fraction of
a second pondering the way a belt is tied....you need to rethink what the hell
you're doing, because it isn't karate!!!

Your friend in karatedo,

Mike

I'm not canvasing for agreement here, I'm merely offering some insight into the kind of emails I get. I think the writer is a good person, a family man, and a decent human being....but, I still think his question was dumb! The line in his email: "In my dojo some of the senior belts tie their belts in such a fashion that they cross over in the back. Upon inquiry, they told me that they did this because that was the way the late Nishiyama sensei did it, and they assumed it was the traditional way to tie the belt." Immediatelybrought to mind that wonderful scene from the Monty Python movie, The Life of Brian.

A word of warning to all who would write to me seeking advice; I know next to nothing about the karate other people practise....I can't even remember everything I've learnt over the past 40 years. So, asking me questions will, inevitably, result in disappointment.

Saturday, 7 February 2015

A couple of students training in the Shinseidokan's backyard last month

Have you ever noticed how much time karate instructors spend talking when they're teaching? One of the things I noticed recently, while on assignment in Melbourne covering the 50th anniversary of Aikido in Australia, was the different approach each sensei took to teaching. Some hardly said a word...they just demonstrated what they wanted a few times, and then let the students have the time to try and find it for themselves.

I was reminded of the way Miyazato Eiichi sensei taught, a few examples, and then.....nothing! Nothing that is only the time needed to discover the lesson he was imparting. It was a great method, I thought; but one that left many becoming lost in their own ignorance. Miyazato sensei once told me that karate should be available for anyone to try, even though most who did, would fail to really understand it. "Anyone can learn to kick and punch", he would say "but that's not karate!"

So...what is it that lies beyond the physical techniques of karate that, according to my sensei, proves too difficult for the majority who begin training? I wouldn't like to say exactly, but I've seen the void left behind in a person's character when it's missing.....